Unspoken words at the border.....

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No, it's nothing tragic. It's something I have been reminiscing today. I went along a group of friends to Taki, the border town of India and Bangladesh last winter. It was so much fun among friends, and the first distant day trip I took with my buddies. It was one of the last days of January I think..... I remember it clearly because of the long walks I took along the beautified bank of River Ichhamati with the one I love. We were pointing towards the opposite bank and thinking, wow it's so near, yet so far. We need a passport and a visa for that. The boats are clearly marked which country they belong to, with national flags. Those manning the boats must also think, we float by Bangladesh everyday yet never set foot on that foreign land. Dad used to tell me that in the Bangladesh Freedom War of 1971, the opposition dropped bomb shells and military attacked near their home quite often. (His house is near Taki, in a town three stations away, called Basirhat) Pakistan was fighting to keep its premises in the east, whereas India was supporting East Pakistan for its freedom. Thankfully East Pakistan-India won that war, and Bangladesh was born. Now while walking along the embankment, it hardly felt like there was a war brewing on this exact spot, where we held hands and looked longingly afar. The realization was breath-taking. Somewhere out there is my ancestral home. Both my grandfathers were from the other side of the river. To my knowledge, some of my relatives still live there. They have a different dialect than ours, but strangely enough, nothing about that land seems foreign to me. It's the same, divided by man-made political agreements and compromises. Finally, he called me back from my reverie and said, "One day I will take you there." I smiled. Even without saying anything, he understood. And that's why I love him.